How Many People Are Having This Problem?

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Starting a couple of years ago I began having my caches stolen. Back then it was just one but it had not disappeared since it was placed 3 years earlier. After it was first taken it was stolen as quickly as it was replaced for two years.

Since then other of my caches have begun to mysteriously disappear. Within the last past three weeks three of my caches have gone missing. One had never gone missing in six+ years since placed, another had never gone missing in 4 years. The latest one went missing a few months ago for the first time since it was placed in 2006. I replaced it a month ago, it was found once, a few days after I replaced it, and it's reported missing again today. It discourages me from maintaining caches. When I say these caches were stolen they almost have have been given the way they're hidden and how long it's been they haven't gone missing up to now. If it were just one, maybe, but three in three weeks!

Are other people having this problem?

Edited March 20, 2016 by Thot

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I don't believe I am having this problem, but the rate of finds in Huntsville is low. I have one cache that newbies love (it is very easy and on the SHSU campus), and it has been stolen/damaged twice in 5 years and 215 finds. It is our most found cache.

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Did I mention the one time that I went to replace a log & a dog dung was inside the container? I've never seen my poor husband jump so high!

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PS: The cache I DNF'd of yours mid-town today I used the picture in the hint that did not have a deliberate arrow, so ooops, I looked in the wrong area. I'll try again when I'm in the area & it's not sunset.

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The cache I DNF'd of yours mid-town today I used the picture in the hint that did not have a deliberate arrow, so ooops, I looked in the wrong area. I'll try again when I'm in the area & it's not sunset.

That's not one of the caches I was talking about. For one thing caches in that series go missing a lot, but it rarely the same ones over and over.

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Semi related: We have problems only on non-premium hides as a rule. For example, we have one IPS hide on our Like to Bike series in the Fairfield Mall area out west that I forgot to make Premium when I republished as a change up. It get's found 20:1 more than the others (all premium) hides in the bike series. It also goes missing often. But, to be honest, I find it worth it to keep the status open to non-premium newbies for the time being.

For my experience on the NW part of town, in general, if you don't make your hides premium you must accept that you'll be doing more maintenance along with more traffic. I don't know exactly why. Bored teens? Just clumsiness? Muggles who were curious?

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I got to thinking about what you said. All these were non-premium hides. I changed them to premium only. I hate to do that because it prevents new cachers from hunting them but all the caches I've had trouble with were not premium.

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The Shuttle (STS) series is premium. Mostly because I thought the circles looked better in the art than the boxes. But because most are PNGs, I think it has helped. A few regularly disappear, I think mostly because people manhandle them. Often after a DNF I find them on the ground.

That said, I've only had one skirt STS that someone found that presented an issue. I changed the cache page to reflect I moved it one LP over and have had no issues since.

I don't like it not being available to all, but given the simplicity of the actual locations I think the muggle factor / newbie factor would mean a LOT of extra maintenance for many of them.

For yours being taken, now that "they" know they're there, premium may not help you. But it can't hurt.

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Thot, 2katz and I agree about the premium closing off new non-members, but we always keep a percentage of "fun ones" available as non-premium open caches in hopes of converting the newbie to a paid membership. In fact, you've inspired me to put a paragraph in each new open hide from now on, letting them know there is WAY MORE good ones available. I recall being blown away at how full my map got all of a sudden once I ponied up with a paid membership.

The thing is, at least up here in NW side of town, the stats don't lie, the non-premium hides just go away more often. Many times the containers are difficult to replace. Many of the prolific CO's up here will no longer publish non-premium hides. I think that is a shame, and makes it harder for us to recruit new blood IMO. We really do need good, fun, interesting non-premium hides to keep refreshing our ranks.

We believe this is only an issue in easily accessed, high population/high traffic areas. Jerks are generally lazy and will not work hard to be a _______ . They certainly won't spend money to pillage at this though.

We would never hesitate to keep all our trees/trails hides open for all. Unfortunately, they are building another 50,000 homes in our area, with more on the way after the opening of TX-99. Urban creativity is the order of the day around here...and a 10:1 ratio of premium to open cache hides, but you will be replacing it regularly.

Also, I concur, that changing the status on a already problematic published cache is much more effective if you also change the hide enough - type and or location - to thwart the goofballs.

Great thread!

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I have one in Rockport that is Premium only and it is one that would be very difficult to replace. It has been removed and thrown out of it's hiding hole once since placed....which wasn't long ago. GC657RP I've also had two in the Manvel/Pearland area that were available to everyone and they went missing forever.. IMHO, it does matter somewhat if you make a cache Premium or not but also how well people can conceal what they are doing. Either that, or if they're caught red handed....can give friendly and enthusiastic explanations as to what the game is all about.

It isn't allowing me to edit. Just for clarification, that GC code is GC66HCM